Bitten? I’m Smitten

Think before you lick that wallpaper

The recent cold dark evenings have not inspired as much paint-stripping as usual, especially as the rain, frustratingly, continues to get in through our garage roof

But, while the cold keeps me indoors more than normal, I can curl up on the sofa with ‘Bitten by Witch Fever’, a book which can only be described as very tasteful Victorian wallpaper pornThe book looks at the effect of the use of arsenic in papers, considerably widening the range of colours available. Opinion at the time was apparently divided between people who considered it terribly detrimental to the health to have such chemicals in their homes, and those who believed – rightly or wrongly – that it was only dangerous if they licked the wallpaper

All the papers featured are catalogued with dates and manufacturers, many English but also some French

This book has made me re-think how I currently strip the paper in France. Until now I have not been wearing a mask or gloves, but I probably should protect myself from any possible ‘nasties’

And I am still trying to find information on this wonderful, if fragile, scenic paper in our salon

This last picture (below) is a wall of the chapel at the fabulous Royal Holloway College in Egham, completed in 1886

10 thoughts on “Bitten? I’m Smitten”

I’m such a woose, I admit I have been wearing mask and gloves and goggles for everything in our house, including stripping wallpaper and paint ‘just in case’ ….. the book is totally covetable and I hope you find the answers to your salon paper some day …

What an incredible book, I love that final photo. I wouldn’t even have thought of wearing a mask or gloves to strip wallpaper, but if it’s old I can see it really does make sense, thanks for the good advice, not that we have any to strip, but one never knows, one day in the future perhaps. Stay warm xx